No need to be an art aficionado or graduate of Architecture school to appreciate the beauty of Dallas’ public art and historic architecture. The Business Council for the Arts’ Public Art Walk Dallas! is a free, 3.3 mile routed tour through the Arts District and beyond to not only celebrate an array of intriguing pieces of public art but also promote a health and wellness.
Sponsored by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Nasher Sculpture Center, Baylor Medical Center, American Airlines Cargo, Tenet Health, Atmos Energy and a host of other partners, the self-guided walk kicked off on May 15th and highlights thirty compelling pieces and buildings. The tour commences in the Dallas Arts District at the Nasher Sculpture Center and garden, and then proceeds along Ross Avenue to the asian treasures of the obvious Crow Collection and Museum, then to the Dallas Museum of Art; and onto the not so obvious but significant First United Methodist Church and First Baptist Dallas.
Moving down Ervay Street deeper into downtown– the aluminum “Four Chromatic Gates” engages, and then Thanks-Giving Square’s twirled sculpture peaks interest. Entering Main Street leads to one prolific and legendary piece of history after another – Neiman Marcus’ flagship location, The Magnolia Hotel, and then the Pegasus icon. Pegasus Plaza breaks up the concrete jungle with picturesque landscape architecture and fountains. New additions on Main include Mercantile Place, a mixed-use development in the heart of downtown and the sustainable or ”green” Main Street Garden, a respite for weary DART rail travelers.
Traveling further south – the iconic Adolphus Hotel has a commanding presence on Commerce Street. Across the plaza, AT&T dominates the block.
Entering the Dallas Government District is a bit overwhelming. Along Young Street sits the I.M. Pei designed Dallas City Hall, with interesting and bold 1970s art pieces decorating the entry plaza as the “Floating Sculpture” and “The Dallas Piece." Don’t miss the exciting Pioneer Plaza sculptures – paying homage to Texas heritage.
The tour ends where it all started, in the Arts District - with Cathedral de Guadalupe and the Cathedral’s plaza mural. Across the way – one cannot forget the intriguing I.M. Pei designed Meyerson Symphony Center, and new additions as the bold and captivating Winspear Opera House and intricately-engineered Wyly Theatre show growth and evolution of the district. Dallas is waiting with bated breath for the highly anticipated Park, a 5.2-acre deck development of an urban green space, to bridge downtown and uptown.
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